By the time September rolls around, Jimin is offered another class that starts for the fall semester, a small promotion at his job at the advertising firm, and he's started actively working out again, going to the gym four times a week. He's busy, unusually so, and he doesn't realize how quickly the fall is flying by until he gets home one night to see all of the window AC units sitting by the door leading down to his basement.

"Wait, what's this?" he asks Jungkook as he throws his keys on the end table by the front door.

Jungkook is in the kitchen, stirring something in a sauce pan.

" I'm making dinner."

"No, not that. The AC units. Why are they all out of the windows?"

He scratches his jaw. "Because it's almost October?"

"Oh." He scrunches up his face. He hadn't realized how quickly the season was flying by. "Wow, you're right. That's a lot of work to take those out by yourself, though. I could have done it. It's my house."

Jungkook shrugs, still stirring. "Yeah, well, you've got a lot going on. Figured this was just easier. Besides, I spend as much time here as you do." He takes a sip of whatever's in the pan, and seems to be pleased with what he tastes. "I'll take them down to the basement after we eat. I'm making chicken parm, by the way. The chicken is almost done, I'm just finishing up the sauce now."

Jimin shakes his head. "You're something else, Jeon. You really are. What, is Link freshly groomed, too?"

"No, but I wish I had thought of that. He did get a walk in, though."

"Unbelievable." He walks over to Jungkook, gripping his elbow. "Kiss."

Jungkook puts down the spoon on the counter, a trail of sauce splattering across the granite, and he cups Jimin's face in his hands.

"Hi," he says.

Jimin smiles. "Hi. Thank you."

"Anytime." He bends down to kiss him, fingertip brushing against Jimin's cheekbone.

It's slow and just the way Jimin likes it. He sighs into it, wrapping his arms around Jungkook's back, squeezing in between his shoulder blades. He pulls back after a moment and looks up. "I like you."

"Lucky me, because I like you, too."

" And I love you."

Jungkook smiles, going back to stirring. "Even luckier, because I'm mad about you, myself."

And so it goes.

Jimin goes apple picking with his mum and youngest siblings at the end of September, meeting at an orchard halfway between their houses. It's cool outside, temperatures dropping enough to pull the sweaters out from the back of the closet, and Jimin carefully helps zip up is his five-year-old sister and brother's autumn jackets before letting them take off among the trees.

They zigzag up and down the orchard's hills, twisting the apples off the branches like they were told to do, and fill up the bag rather quickly. Jimin is impressed that it only took a mere ten minutes before they started working on the second round.

Hana slips her arm through Jimin's "I haven't spent much time with you lately."

"I know. I haven't had much time for most things lately. I'm sorry."

"Everything good with teaching? And with Jungkook?"

Jimin bites into an apple, some of the juice dripping down his chin.

"Teaching is amazing. I started up with a new group of kids a couple of weeks ago. It's a sophomore level class, so we're working on a lot of creative writing, even more than we did over the summer, and I love it."

Hana smiles. "Knew you'd love it."

"So did Jungkook." He takes another bite of his apple. "He's something else, honestly. Can't believe how well this is working," he says, squinting in the sunlight.

"I keep trying not to compare him to Tyler, though, but I can't help it."

"What are you comparing?"

"Not, like, pitting each other up against one another or anything," he says, clarifying. "I just think about the differences between our relationships."

Hana bites into her own apple. "Are there any major differences?"

Jimin shrugs. "They're both so different from one another. Tyler was more like me in the sense that he couldn't sit still and was always up in your face about something. Jungkook is more calm. And knows how to handle me. He's been handling me longer than Tyler did, now, at this point."

He watches as the twins dart from one row of trees to another, giggling. He smiles. "I was friends with Jungkook for such a long time that I think that's what make our relationship so intense. More intense than it ever was with Tyler. But, like, with Tyler, there was a level of comfort that isn't there with Jungkook yet, because we were together for so long." He shrugs again. "I dunno."

His mum seems to understand, even though most of it is complete nonsense. "Does it help to talk about this out loud? I'm sure this isn't something you'd ever willingly want to discuss in depth with Jungkook."

He nods, swallowing. "We've talked about it a little bit, but I don't want to share everything." He rubs his neck. "I feel guilty sometimes," he admits.

"About what specifically?"

"Guilty when I think about Tyler, because I'm so ridiculously happy to be with Jungkook that I can't even think straight sometimes, and it's like, nothing else matters."

He tosses his apple onto the ground. "Guilty for Jungkook, because I still choke up when I think about how much I miss Tyler. And that I still love him with every fiber of my being."

She nods. "You'll always love him. I think Jungkook knows that. And I think we all know Tyler would be relieved to know you're with someone he was always so crazy about."

He tucks his hair behind his ear. "It's okay that I love both of them, right? I'm not doing anything wrong? I just don't understand how it's possible to be in love with two people. It doesn't feel right to me. It's like..." He doesn't finish his sentence, doesn't know how to.

Hana reaches for his hand and squeezes. "There is absolutely nothing wrong about your situation, baby."

"You're not just saying that because you're my mum?"

She smiles. "No, I promise. In fact, you are leading a very lucky life. You're very fortunate."

Jimin snorts. "How do you reckon that one?"

"Tyler and Jungkook were complete opposites from one another, but both equally incredible. And you get to be loved by both of them so fiercely in just one lifetime."

There's a lump in his throat. "Okay, Mum, stop."

The twins appear then, dragging two bags completely stuffed to the top with apples behind them. They're smiling proudly, and Hana claps her hands together. "Good work!" she exclaims. "We'll put these in the car and then we can get cider and donuts?"

The twins cheer in response and Jimin trails behind them as they sprint to the main entrance, excitedly asking if they can get pumpkins, too.

He's spent the past two years feeling like his life was in shambles, but in this moment, he does feel fortunate.